Solano County sets Vallejo information session on day reporting center

As Solano County continues to grapple with how best to handle state prison alignment legislation, an informational session will be held Thursday in Vallejo on a controversial day reporting center slated for the city.

Solano County would like to open the center in the 300 block of Tuolumne Street near the courthouse and health and social service clinics.

Some in Vallejo are angered and scared the project will result in more crime, despite county officials stressing the intent of the center is the exact opposite.

The second public informational session on the project takes place 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday at Vallejo's Florence Douglas Senior Center, 333 Amador St.

Tom White, Solano County adviser on how to implement the 2011 state prison alignment legislation, will provide information during the session.

The presentation will be followed by a question-and-answer session.

Under the goal of reducing recidivism, offenders would go to the center several hours a week and work with case managers to receive counseling, job training, GED courses and other services.

The state law transfers responsibilities of low-risk nonviolent, and non-sex offenders being released from state prisons. The county is calling them "post release community supervision" offenders rather than parolees.

A large group, called the Community Corrections Partnership, has been meeting for more than a year on how to implement the state law, and establish a center aimed at reducing recidivism.

Last month, some group members suggested that changing the name from Day Reporting Center to something else could help change public perceptions about the kinds of services the program will offer.

Instead of offenders reporting on a daily basis, the center would serve a select number of individuals with training and other services aimed at keeping them from turning to crime again.

"The day reporting center approach only increases the coordination and management of the individuals being supervised," Hansen said.